Students who attended the last Sunday Series trip of the year on the evening of March 17th heard the people sing during a fantastic performance of Les Misérables. Shea’s Theatre in Buffalo served practically as a work of art itself, from its stunning baroque-style murals and opulent chandeliers at the ceiling to the marble and red-carpet floors. Familiar or not with the story of Les Mis, students left the balcony of the auditorium positively awe-struck. One student even reported having cried a total of 10 times (it was me).
Some students found it difficult to follow the story through the operatic vocals, the dialogue sometimes slipping past the line between “This is the most impressive music I’ve ever heard,” and “Are they actually saying words right now? Is this Latin? What’s going on?”. This prompted an interesting conversation after the musical on the bus back to Alfred, where the place of captions in the theatre was discussed. It was a tool that was agreed to be helpful to all kinds of demographics, including people whose first languages aren’t English and those who are hearing-impaired, neurodivergent, and may simply enjoy following along with captions.
It is safe to ultimately conclude, however, that each student left with a heart full of love. No fear, no regret.